Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez’s did-they-or-didn’t-they break-up may have happened too long ago to truly qualify as the first celebrity “Turkey Dump” of American Thanksgiving 2012.

(Besides, Biebz is Canadian.)

But the tradition of “Turkey Dumping” — breaking up just in time for the holidays — doesn’t only apply to students returning home for the Thanksgiving break, where they can split from their left-behind girlfriends or boyfriends in person.

Celebrities, too, are experiencing the Turkey Dump. And a few more of them might be drowning their sorrows in gravy by the long weekend’s close, given the rumours that are persisting online today — even with 99 per cent of pro gossips already gorging at home on their Thanksgiving vacations.

First up: Mayim Bialik, the once-and-former Blossom, who’s now appearing on The Big Bang Theory. The 36-year-old actress announced that she and husband, Michael Stone, are ending their nine-year marriage. The couple has two young sons together — Miles, 7, and Fred, 4 — and Bialik, a prominent “mommy blogger,” broke the news through her Kveller.com parenting site.

“Divorce is terribly sad, painful and incomprensible for children. It is not something we have decided lightly,” Bialik wrote. “The main priority for us now is to make the transition to two loving homes as smooth and painless as possible,” she continued, adding that her “attachment parenting” style was not a factor in the decision to separate, and thanking readers for respecting the family’s privacy “as we negotiate this new terrain.”

Another couple with a young family — Kimora Lee Simmons and actor Djimon Hounsou — confirmed their separation through Twitter this week. Though not married, Simmons told Peoplein the past that they were “kind of engaged” and in 2009, they welcomed a son, Kenzo Lee Hounsou. “There have been quite a few hurtful rumors circulating. The truth is Djimon + I have been separated for some time,” Simmons Tweeted yesterday. Added the Baby Phat founder: “We have remained happy, loving, co-parenting friends + family. We all have much to be thankful for.”

Whatever “hurtful rumors” Simmons heard couldn’t possibly have made as much noise as the stories about two other celeb couples. RadarOnlineis claiming that Eddie Cibrian is fed up with married life. (The actor is married to LeAnn Rimes.) He’s “sick and tired of the chaos,” says some snitch. “He told her he needs some time alone to get his head together,” because he’s just so awfully busy not starring in The Playboy Club. Adds the source, “he’s checked out emotionally.”

And then there’s the persistent gossip that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are experiencing some turbulence. Star ran a story claiming the couple has “barely seen each other in the past few months,” and as per their shadowy-as-usual source, they’ve been “spending a lot of nights apart” because of professional commitments. Says Star‘s snitch: “They are at a breaking point right now.”

All these rumours could be as dodgy as week-old Tofurky. One friend of Affleck’s told Gossip Cop that the Star report is “bullsh*t,” and the outlet notes that Garner and Affleck have frequently jetted out to be with each other when they can. (She was with Affleck when he promoted Argo in Paris, for example.)

But no matter how these stars are faring over the holiday weekend — and no matter whether they’re crying over a broken romance or a rumour that won’t die — they can at least take comfort in this: